Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hand County planning-and-zoning reviews draft zoning ordinance, commissioners to schedule public hearing
Summary
Hand County planning and zoning reviewed draft zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan, with staff asking commissioners to recommend changes before a required public hearing and a 20-day notice period; staff noted state attorney review of violations/penalties language and possible rezoning of about a dozen parcels near Miller.
Hand County commissioners convened as the planning and zoning commission to review draft zoning ordinance language and a draft comprehensive plan, a staff member said. The drafts are available on the county website for public review, and officials asked commissioners to provide recommendations before the board schedules a public hearing and the mandatory 20‑day notice period.
The planning-and-zoning lead, identified in the meeting as Speaker 7, said the drafts incorporate material from the county’s current ordinance and recent work with consultant Eric Singer and noted the state attorney will review the violations and penalties language "just so that he's aware of what the new verbiage says compared to what it is in our current ordinance," before the county moves to a hearing. Commissioners discussed process and agreed the review could take three to four meetings if not expedited.
Commissioners focused on a small set of parcels on the outskirts of Miller that staff are considering relabeling from agricultural to commercial/industrial. Speaker 7 said there are about 12 parcels under consideration and that any rezoning would give the county additional standards to require — for example, stricter setbacks and controls on glare and dust — while noting that permitted and conditional uses are largely similar between agricultural and commercial/industrial districts and property owners would in many cases still need conditional-use approval.
Staff also described work on an official zoning map and an administrative manual to guide implementation, including updated building‑permit forms. Commissioners agreed to hold further review and feedback in January and to reopen the item after the planning-and-zoning group completes recommendations.
The commission did not take a final vote at this meeting; the next procedural step is for the planning and zoning commission to make a formal recommendation and for the county to schedule the required public hearing and notice period before adoption.
